Imagery: USGS The National Map. Map services and data available from U.S. Geological Survey, National Geospatial Program. Terrain: United States 3DEP (formerly NED) and global GMTED2010 and SRTM terrain data courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey. Labels: US Census Bureau TIGER/Line, USGS GNIS.
The Castro and Eureka Valley sit around the Market and Castro Street junction in central San Francisco, below the eastern slopes of Twin Peaks. Open full map →
About the Castro
The Castro is centered on the junction of Market, Castro, and 17th Streets, where Harvey Milk Plaza sits.
The residential blocks are Victorians and Edwardians. The Castro proper runs into Eureka Valley, the residential area where the streets climb toward Corona Heights. Many of the buildings are flats, two-to-four-unit structures.
The Castro Theatre is a 1922 movie palace and a designated landmark. Around it sit cafes, bars, restaurants, and shops.
The Eureka Valley and Corona Heights edges get steep, parking is tight, and a large share of the housing is in flats and converted buildings.
The underground Castro Street Station puts the K-Ingleside, L-Taraval, and M-Ocean View Muni Metro lines a few steps away, connecting straight to the Market Street subway and downtown.
On foot
Castro and Market
The blocks around Castro and Market are flat, and the residential blocks climbing into Eureka Valley and toward Corona Heights get steep.
Streetcar and buses
The F-Market and the lines
The historic F-Market streetcar terminates at Castro and Market, and the 24-Divisadero, 33-Ashbury, and 35-Eureka buses fill in the cross-town trips. Street parking is tight.
Castro & Eureka Valley disclosure items
Old Victorians and Edwardians
Much of the Castro and Eureka Valley is pre-war Victorian and Edwardian housing.
Flats, condos, and TICs
A large share of the neighborhood is two-to-four-unit flats, and many have been converted to condos or tenancy-in-common.
Tenancy and rent control
If a building is tenant-occupied, San Francisco rent control and just-cause rules can shape what you can and cannot do after closing.
Steep lots on the Eureka Valley edge
The blocks climbing toward Corona Heights and Twin Peaks get steep.
We are working on direct access to more MLS data for San Francisco.
Places in the Castro
Landmark
Castro Theatre
A 1922 movie palace and designated San Francisco landmark that hosts film screenings and festivals.
Landmark
Harvey Milk Plaza
The plaza at Castro and Market, named for Supervisor Harvey Milk.
Park
Corona Heights Park
A rocky hilltop park on the Eureka Valley edge with open views of the city, alongside the Randall Museum.
Street
Castro Street
The main corridor of cafes, bars, restaurants, and shops.
The market in the Castro and Eureka Valley
The Castro and Eureka Valley are mostly Victorian and Edwardian housing, single-family homes alongside a large share of two-to-four-unit flats, with many condos and tenancy-in-common units converted from those buildings.
San Francisco does not assign public schools strictly by address. SFUSD runs a citywide enrollment system. The SFUSD application, timelines and lottery details are linked below.
The system
SFUSD is a choice system
Placement runs through a citywide lottery with tiebreakers, not a strict neighborhood boundary. An address does not guarantee placement.
Enroll
SFUSD enrollment
The official application, timelines, and how the lottery works.
What is the difference between the Castro and Eureka Valley?
They are the same area. The Castro is the historic name centered on Castro and Market, and Eureka Valley is the older name for the broader residential area and its upper slopes.
What is a TIC, and why does it come up so much here?
A tenancy-in-common, or TIC, is a way several owners share title to one multi-unit building, each with the right to occupy a unit. Many of the Castro's flats are owned this way. The co-ownership agreement, shared financing, and partner relationships matter.
What kind of homes are there?
Mostly Victorian and Edwardian buildings, a mix of single-family homes and two-to-four-unit flats, plus many condos and TIC units converted from those flats.
How is getting around?
Castro Street Station puts the K, L, and M Muni Metro lines underground right at the center, the historic F-Market streetcar terminates here, and several buses cross the area. Street parking is tight.
How do schools work?
San Francisco uses a citywide SFUSD enrollment lottery rather than strict address assignment. The official enrollment details are on the SFUSD site.
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